Students flourish by having positive learning experiences at school. Here we describe an action research study undertaken in an Australian primary school that was intended to promote the development of students' positive learning identities and resources. We partnered with classroom teachers to devise pedagogical practices that explicitly targeted…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore: student perceptions of threshold concepts and capabilities in postgraduate business education, and the potential impacts of intensive modes of teaching on student understanding of threshold concepts and development of threshold capabilities. Design/Methodology/Approach: The student experience of…

Children with disability continue to experience disadvantage in their school lives; thus, the question of what makes up an optimal school life, and whether this is different for children with disability, becomes critical. This paper reports on research into parental views about an optimal school life and the usefulness of Social Role Valorization…

Using academic capitalism as a theoretical foundation, this phenomenological study examined the new study abroad experiences of Chinese college students in six popular English-speaking study destination countries--the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore. Qualitative data collected from 20 interviews indicate some…

Despite being unable to dress himself, sit still on a chair, or write a legible sentence, Scott was, from a very early age, able to build whole cities from construction blocks, able to complete complex puzzles, and verbally precocious. Even with his disabilities and their contrast with his academic talent, he completed K-12 school and went on to…

Prior scholarship suggests that many boys are disengaged from school-based literacy because they do not see its value or significance in their lives. In response, this study investigates the role of popular culture and new literacies in motivating adolescent boys within secondary English. Drawing on sociocultural approaches to literacy research,…

Identity lies at the heart of doctoral study--a mysterious learning process which culminates in Ph.D. students' metamorphosis into doctors. This paper explores the identity-related experiences of six international Ph.D. students enrolled at an Australian university by examining how different individuals, events and interactions contributed to (or…

This report is focused on the strategic, capability and operational reasons why traditional vocational education and training (VET) providers move to the delivery of higher education qualifications in their own right, in addition to their vocational qualifications. It is particularly interested in associate and bachelor degrees. By undertaking six…

The quest for integrity in practice and theory has been part of the evolution of student personnel work all the way back to the turn of the 20th century. This chapter seeks to take stock of the question of integrity in relation to one of the core knowledge bases used by those engaged in student affairs work today--student development. The authors…

Evidence is mounting that values education is providing positive outcomes for students, teachers and schools (Benninga, Berkowitz, Kuehn, & Smith, 2006; DEST, 2008; Hattie, 2003; Lovat, Clement, Dally, & Toomey, 2010). Despite this, Australian pre-service teacher education does not appear to be changing in ways necessary to support…

Almost 800 international students from non-English speaking backgrounds enrolled at five Australian universities responded to an online survey accessed through a dedicated website. The survey captured demographics; language and language learning background; strategies for continuing to develop English; motivation, attitudes and beliefs about…

The mathematical development of children with Down syndrome (DS) is largely uncharted territory and yet the experience of parents and teachers reminds people that children with DS can and do learn mathematics. In this article, the authors describe a study that examines the mathematical development of children with DS, and offer suggestions arising…

This paper details aspects of a research project that explored nineteen Australian primary (elementary) schoolteachers' perspectives of Creative Arts education. The study investigated the participants' personal Arts experiences and training, as well as their views of Arts pedagogy. In depth interviews with the participants highlighted the…

This study examined the perceptions of teacher aides regarding their roles and responsibilities in supporting senior students with special needs in mainstream secondary school settings. Fourteen teacher aides were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide to determine their views regarding their roles and responsibilities, the challenges…

This purpose of this study was to identify influences on young males' decisions to withdraw from their studies in certificate courses at a Western Australia College of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). The research focused on males aged between 17 and 21 years, and their reasons for either dropping out of or persisting in entry-level…